Preview: USD football looks for its first road win against Indiana State

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The University of South Dakota football team heads east in search of its first road win of the season under first-year head coach Travis Johansen against Indiana State on Saturday.

How to watch South Dakota at Indiana State and what to know about both programs:

Week 7: South Dakota Coyotes (3-3, 1-1 MVFC) at Indiana State Sycamores (2-3, 0-1 MVFC)

When: Noon Central, Saturday, Oct. 11

Where: Memorial Stadium, Terre Haute, Indiana

TV: ESPN+ (Brendan King — play-by-play, Austin Osborne — analyst)

Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Jerry Palleschi) [KVHT 106.3 FM]

Records last year: USD 11-3, Indiana State 4-8

Series: USD leads the all-time series, 7-2, dating back to the first meeting in 2012 when the Coyotes joined the MVFC

Last time: South Dakota won 49-0 in 2024 at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Rankings: South Dakota is ranked No. 23 in the FCS.

Last week: South Dakota won against Murray State 49-24 at home; Indiana State lost at No. 11 Southern Illinois 55-27

Coaches: South Dakota — Travis Johansen (first year, 3-3); Indiana State — Curt Mallory (ninth season, 26-58)

Stat leaders after week 6

Leading passers: USD — Aidan Bouman (69-of-126, 952 yards, 8 TDs, 5 INTs); Indiana State — Keegan Patterson (40-of-69, 357 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)

Leading rushers: USD — L.J. Phillips Jr. (799 yards, 107 carries, 10 TDs); Indiana State — Nick Osho (413 yards, 44 carries, 6 TDs)

Leading receivers: USD — Larenzo Fenner (297 yards, 11 receptions, 4 TDs); Indiana State — Rashad Rochelle (201 yards, 16 receptions, 2 TDs)

Top defenders: USD — Roman Tillmon, Gabriel Hardman and Matt Walsh (40 total tackles each, Walsh has 1 INT, ½ sack, 1 FF and 3 PBUs, Tillmon has 1 FF and 2 PBUs, Hardman has 1 sack); Indiana State — Kimal Clark (48 total tackles, 19 solo, 1 FF, 1 FR and 1 PBU)

Quick game hits: South Dakota’s L.J. Phillips Jr. leads the nation in rushing yards (799), No. 2 in rushing yards per game (133.2), tied for second in rushing touchdowns (10), and is sixth in yards per carry (7.47). … South Dakota’s Larenzo Fenner leads the Valley in average yards per catch (27) and is tied at No. 2 in receiving touchdowns (4). … Under the direction of first-year offensive coordinator, Tim Morrison, the Coyotes now sit 10th in the FCS (32nd last week, a 22-spot jump) through six games in rushing offense (212.5 yards per game). … Indiana State has a top-25 rushing offense in the FCS (No. 23), averaging 194.2 yards per game on the ground. … The Sycamores defense is the Achilles' heel, allowing 509.4 total yards of offense per game (No. 124 out of 126 FCS teams) and 45.8 points per contest (last in the FCS).

Trey Houchin is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. Trey graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 2025 with a bachelor's degree in sports media and covers a wide variety of topics. A Missouri native, Houchin can be reached at thouchin@mitchellrepublic.com.